“The reason that fiction is more interesting than any other form of literature, to those who really like to study people, is that in fiction the author can really tell the truth without humiliating himself.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

BR: Sunbolt by Intisar Khanani

Jeepers, I have a lot of sad posts on this blog. I guess in light of the things happening in my life, I finished a book I got on my Kindle.

I actually bought the paperback version because I like having physical books more than ebooks. Since I bought the print version, I was able to do Kindle Matchbook (more info here) and technically got it for free since I was refunded for the print version being damaged during delivery. So, lucky me?

I added Intisar Khanani’s fantasy book Sunbolt to my TBR list a long time ago. I think it was added during the time I participated in tons of giveaways (still haven’t won any yet). I started reading this instead of reading the other books I am supposed to read since it was so short (for example: Turtles All the Way Down, Crooked Kingdom, and An Ember in the Ashes just to name a few). I finished its entirety in about two hours so it’s pretty short for the first book in the series (I just found out today the series will have four books in total). So if you’re looking for a quick read with magical action this is probably for you.

I have never read such a fast-paced book in my entire life. It was literally scene after scene of awesomeness. Normally with books in this genre, the storylines follow a predictable arc. There was probably one thing I predicted correctly but goodness gracious. I was completely thrown in a loop. Everything that I thought would happen made 180° turns.

I don’t want to talk too much about the actual story since it was so short and I would spoil everything. Despite the book being shorter than most, nothing seemed to be left out. The characters in Sunbolt were introduced without having a ridiculously long back story. I knew enough to care for each person. I even picked out my OTP already.

There were characters that I despised immediately. Which is good because I get angry when I think a “good” guy turns out to be a “bad” guy in books. The “bad” guys in Sunbolt are absolutely despicable and I love it.

The sheer amount magic and creatures in this one book is a fantasy reader’s dream. Khanani did a phenomenal job combining different creatures and folklore from various cultures.

Honestly, I was not expecting a tanuki character. Tanukis are frequently in Japanese folklore and are drawn in a lot of mangas and animes (My favorite manga and anime with tanukis is probably Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun). Also for those who don’t know, tanukis are real animals in Japan (wiki for you).

Anyway, I haven’t been this excited for the second book in a series since Cassandra Clare’s Clockwork Prince. I love the clashes of different cultures when it’s done well. There are very few books that are able to pull this off without overwhelming the reader with information of each magical being.